Attendance Requirements

Students who believe that they cannot adhere to an attendance policy because of circumstances directly related to a disability may seek an accommodation. As with all accommodations, the process for students to initiate a request for attendance accommodations is through Disability Resources. All requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with the course instructor.

If you are contacted by DRC about possible flexibility in your attendance policy, we will be interested in understanding the role attendance plays in the design of your course. Specifically, DRC staff will explore:

What is the course policy regarding attendance?

Is the attendance policy applied consistently? Are there exceptions to the policy made for extenuating circumstances, such as athletics or religious observation?

How much interaction is there between the instructor and students and among students during class?

Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?

Does the design of the course rely on student participation as a significant method for learning?

To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class compromise the educational experience of other students in the class?

If an accommodation is determined to be reasonable, DRC will work with you and the student to clearly specify:

How and when the student should inform you when he or she will miss class

How the student will make-up missed work

The number of absences that would be reasonable

Whether a late drop or grade of incomplete would be appropriate should absences become unexpectedly excessive.

Please note:

An accommodation in attendance is not reasonable if regular attendance is essential to the course and/or curriculum or the number of accommodated absences becomes excessive.

You should never waive essential academic components of the course.

Students who receive an attendance accommodation are responsible for all course work and do not have blanket permission to miss class.

Requests for flexibility in assignment deadlines will be discussed separately and may or may not be determined to be reasonable.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Disability Resources.